Vincent Kompany is keen to strengthen his squad during January but admitted he must be realistic about the sort of deals Burnley might be able to do.

The Clarets go into Friday’s match against fellow strugglers Luton sitting 19th in the Premier League and five points adrift of safety.

“I’ll be honest, there’s a big chance we do some strengthening in a couple of positions,” Kompany said. “But I want to manage expectations in terms of what we can do at this moment in time.

“It will be difficult to bring in the real, immediate game-changers but I think we can always use a little bit of extra strength just in case something happens, players we think can help us.”

Burnley brought in a number of fresh faces over the summer after earning promotion as champions, with an emphasis on signing young players with growth potential. But Kompany has been keen to point out that much of that investment was spent on replacing players who had been at the club on loan.

Asked what funds were available this month, Kompany said: “It always depends if someone goes out, or if there’s a deal to be done that is a deal that we should do. The truth is, it depends.

“What we can’t do is something ludicrous. We have to do something with a really clear purpose.”

A number of players could leave the club this month in order to find more regular playing time, and to free up funds. Wales full-back Connor Roberts has been strongly linked with a move away, but asked if there had been any enquiries, Kompany simply said “no”.

Instead he said it was something he was happy to think about after Friday’s game, with Burnley’s next fixture not coming until they visit Manchester City on January 31.

“We have a nice break, the next game is the 31st so after the game we’ll have plenty of time to do all the discussions, certainly internally,” he said. “My only concern is Luton this week. The break gives us a fantastic chance to deal with everything else after the game.”

Friday’s match, brought forward from Monday due to Luton’s FA Cup replay away to Bolton on Tuesday night, is of critical importance.

Win and Kompany’s side will be one point behind the Hatters and within touching distance of safety, but lose and Luton will enjoy a seven-point cushion over the side promoted with them from the Championship in the summer.

“We’re past the point where we can deny the fact that we have to look at every opportunity to get results, but our belief is still that in a game against Luton we can get a result,” Kompany said.

“It’s how we felt we could get something against Aston Villa and every other team we’ve played. We have to make it happen on the pitch.

“What I’ve learned from being in and around the place where we are now is that a couple of wins, two or three in a row, makes a massive, massive difference. Just like a couple of defeats makes a massive difference at the top.

“Do I believe we can go on a run at some point this season? I think so.”